Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy has long been described as a former nationally ranked junior tennis player, but according to the sport’s governing body, that was never actually the case. The discrepancy has come to light just days before Tuesday’s election in Ohio’s governor’s race.
The ‘Nationally Ranked’ Claim and Regional Records
Ramaswamy faces Democrat Amy Acton, Ohio’s former health director, in the upcoming election, with recent polling averages showing Acton holding a narrow lead. The tennis claim has followed Ramaswamy for more than a decade, appearing in profiles by Forbes in 2015 and The New Yorker in 2022, as well as his 2020 Soros Fellowship bio, often stating he was a nationally ranked junior player whose serve could reach 120 mph.
Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg investigated the available records and found a much more modest history. In 2002, Ramaswamy held a regional ranking of 48th in the 16-and-under division of the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) Midwest section and played No. 3 singles for St. Xavier high school in Cincinnati. The sport has also entered the political arena through an ad from Ohioans for Lower Costs, a group funded by the Democratic Governors Association.
Investigation Into USTA Records and Wikipedia Edits
Pablo Torre Finds Out investigated the claim directly with the USTA. Pablo Torre stated that the USTA has no records of Ramaswamy ever being a nationally ranked junior tennis player. Torre explained that the organization provided him with yearbooks from the 1990s and 2000s, which were double-checked for the show and clearly showed no national ranking.
Torre also pointed out that while the tennis claim remained in Ramaswamy’s biography, other sections were altered. Wikipedia edit history showed that a paid editor removed lines detailing Ramaswamy’s Soros Fellowship and his involvement with Ohio’s COVID-19 response team. D.J. Byrnes, who has reported on Ramaswamy’s sports background for The Rooster, expressed surprise at the editing process, stating he did not realize wealthy individuals could hire editors for Wikipedia.
Byrnes questioned the necessity of the embellishment given Ramaswamy’s actual academic and athletic background, noting that being a solid high school player and valedictorian is already respectable. Byrnes added that a Democratic pollster friend who conducts focus groups believes the tennis narrative fails to humanize Ramaswamy in the way he intends. Voters are now left questioning the accuracy of other biographical details as election day approaches.
